The internet is great for so many things, but one of the problems is too much conflicting information and difficulty determining which website should be believed. Take, for example, the difference
between yams and sweet potatoes. Some websites claim emphatically that there is no difference, that a sweet potato is a yam and a yam is a sweet potato. Others claim just as emphatically that they are distinctly different, from different parts of the world and should be cooked differently. Here’s a website I found interesting in case you want to explore the topic further, though I make no claim that it’s accurate: http://www.thekitchn.com/whats-the-difference-between-yams-and-sweet-potatoes-word-of-mouth-211176.

After spending waaaay too much time researching the issue and
asking produce department clerks, I’ve stopped caring. I just pick the ones I want when shopping and use them interchangeably. My mouth and my stomach certainly don’t care what I call them.

For this recipe I used two yams(?) and two sweet potatoes(?), and it was delicious

1. First I skinned and cubed the tubers and cooked them in boiling salt water until just tender, about 10 minutes. Then I drained them and laid them on paper towels to dry.

2. In two tablespoons of olive oil over medium heat, I sautéed red bell peppers, red onions, green onions and garlic until tender, about 8 minutes.

3. Then I added the yams/potatoes to the pan, seasoned them with salt and pepper and gently stirred to combine. I turned the heat up to high and let the vegetables sit untouched so the potatoes would crisp up. After about five minutes, I flipped them and let them crisp on the other side for a few minutes.

If not serving bacon elsewhere in the meal, you could certainly add it to this hash.

A hearty, healthy dish that can be made the day before and refrigerated. Reheat before serving.

These brownies were a hit at my Valentine’s brunch and are so
simple to make.

You can make brownies from scratch if you like, but I think some of the box mixes out there are as good as any brownies I’ve tasted and certainly a lot simpler to make. And you can make your own icing from scratch, too, but I chose the simpler path of using canned
frosting. Below I’ll explain how I used fresh raspberries in the creamy frosting and share with you some tips for creating these special Valentine’s brownies.

This taco soup is hardy, healthy, simple, inexpensive, and
oh-so-yummy.

A one-cup serving of this recipe has only 186 calories, 25 carbs and 3.5 grams of fat. It also provides a whopping 61 grams of protein and 6 grams of fiber. I top it with 1 tablespoon of sour cream which adds only 30 calories and 3 grams of fat — so worth it! AND it only cost $1.29 per serving!

It is based on an old Weight Watchers recipe, but I’ve added a few things to make it even healthier: kale, tumeric and
cardamom. Among the many benefits, kale adds fiber and antioxidents, tumeric is anti-inflammatory and aids with healing and
alleviating arthritis, and cardamom aids digestion, immune system and blood pressure. In this recipe, I used two cups of kale, which seemed about right to me. I used 1 teaspoon each of turmeric and cardamom with no noticeable taste, so I would increase those next time to get more of the health benefits.

The sodium content is higher than I like at 815 grams per one-cup serving because of all the canned ingredients and the packaged
seasonings. You could reduce the sodium level dramatically by cooking the beans yourself rather than using canned beans and by using your own seasonings instead of the packaged ones. Since my emphasis is on simplicity, though, I’ll just buy low sodium versions of the canned ingredients next time.

This is an impressive and beautiful dessert. Yummy, too, especially when served warm with a scoop of vanilla bean ice cream!

Does it qualify as a Simple Brunch Idea, though? Well, technically it’s simple (as in, five ingredients and very few steps), but definitely not easy. Especially the first time you try it. I recommend that you watch the YouTube video before attempting it yourself. Maybe you’ll see something in it that I missed.Rose Shaped Apple Baked Dessert by Cooking with Manuela: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5rGrwvEjZIQ

Here’s the way I made this recipe, as well as a few of the lessons I learned along the way.

Core the apples and slice into VERY thin slices. (Lesson one: the
thinner the slices, the easier to roll).

Put the apple slices in a bowl of water and add the juice of half a
lemon. Microwave for about 3 minutes. (Lesson two: be sure they are soft. See the picture further down of what happens when they are not pre-cooked enough.)

On a floured surface, unfold the puff pastry and use a rolling pin to stretch it slightly. Cut the sheet into six strips.

Spread a spoonful of the apricot preserves on a strip of the pastry. (Lesson three: Don’t spend extra on high quality preserves. The one I bought had big chunks of apricot, which makes for a delicious topping on toast, but didn’t spread well for this recipe, so I had to remove the chunks, wasting much of it.)

Lay the apple slices over the top half of the dough, overlapping them.

Sprinkle generously with cinnamon and fold the bottom half of the dough up over the apple slices.

Okay, here’s the tricky part!! Beginning at one end, roll the apple-filled pastry up being careful to keep the apples from slipping out.

Here’s what happens when your slices are too thick and not soft enough. It simply won’t roll.

I put the remaining apple slices back into water and into the microwave for two more minutes and tried it again. (Lesson four: practice makes perfect) You can see the progression in the photo below. The next two I rolled up (bottom row) were better, but still too stiff and thick. For the ones in the top row, I used thinner slices that were also softer, and each one got better as I was practicing (left to right in picture). So hopefully the next batch I do will all come out looking like my final rose.

(Lesson five: run a knife around the edge to loosen the entire apple rose before lifting it out of the pan. The edge of the first one stuck to the pan, and the rose just unwrapped as I lifted it out — that’s why there are only four roses pictured on the plate.)

Please leave your comments, especially if you have tips on how to make this better or easier.

1. Roll out dough. Use a 4-inch round cup or bowl to cut out 12 circles. Place each circle in a greased muffin tin. Press into the bottom and the sides of the muffin tin. Use a fork to score the bottom so the crust doesn’t bubble up while baking.

4. Bake for 15 minutes at 425 degrees. Turn the heat down to 350 degrees and bake another 25 minutes or so, until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Let cool on a wire rack for at least an hour for the pumpkin filling to set.